Any device that requires polarized light uses one or more polarizers. Polarizers have many industrial applications. For example, polarizers may be utilized in electro-optical modulators and laser subsystems. In essence, a polarizer eliminates an undesirable light component of a first polarization, and allows a desirable light component of a second polarization to pass through.
Of particular interest is the use of polarizers capable of being readily utilized as in-line modules in optical fibers. In addition, a number of practical polarizer applications would greatly benefit from availability of an inexpensive and easy to produce optical fiber-based polarizer (i.e. that is readily deployable in an “in-line” configuration), that is operable to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light. It would further be desirable to provide a highly configurable optical fiber-based polarizer that may be fabricated to achieve desired extinction ratio parameters (e.g., to maximize the extinction ratio, to minimize the extinction ratio, or to achieve any desired value therebetween). It would additionally be desirable to provide an optical fiber-based polarizer with the above-noted polarization conversion features, that also comprises an interface between a polarization maintaining (PM) fiber, and a single mode (SM) fiber.